SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team (1-2) failed to overcome a slow start in a 67-59 loss at the hands of the Montana State Bobcats (3-1) on Saturday evening at Strahan Arena.

Texas State was led in scoring by senior guard Toshua Leavitt for the third game in three tries this season. She scored 19 points, giving her double-figure scoring in 10-straight ballgames dating back to last season. Leavitt connected on 4-of-11 3-point tries running her tally of consecutive games with multiple made 3-point field goals to 22 games. Sophomore forward Jayla Johnson tallied double-figures for the second time in as many games. She scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds off the bench.

Senior forward Claire Lundberg turned in a perfect box score to lead Montana State. She converted all eight of her shots from the floor, including a 4-for-4 effort from behind the 3-point arc and was a tidy 6-for-6 from the free throw line. In total, she tallied a career-high 26 points and hauled in six rebounds. Junior forward Martha Kuderer also turned in a career night, posting a career-best 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

For the second-straight game, Texas State fell behind quickly. Against Nicholls, the Bobcats were able to claw back into the game and outlast the Colonels in the fourth quarter. Montana State would not succumb to the same fate.

Two extended runs in the second half defined the contest. Texas State trailed by a score of 35-25 heading into the halftime break and fell behind 41-30 with 7:20 remaining in the third frame. Junior guard Bailey Holle ignited a furious comeback effort with an old-fashioned three-point play. Freshman guard Kennedy Taylor connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key before a three-point play from Leavitt brought the Cats within one possession at 43-40 with 3:06 left in the third. Johnson cashed in a steal from junior guard Brooke Holle to trim the lead down to one prior to an MSU timeout.

Following the timeout, Leavitt gave TXST a lead for the first time in the half with a deep 3-pointer. She capped off the 17-2 extended run with a jump shot to end the third quarter. Behind a vaunted press defense that forced nine MSU turnovers in the third quarter alone, TXST outscored the visitor 22-8 in the opening frame of the second half to carry a four-point lead into the final stanza.

Unfortunately, TXST ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats of Montana State were able to mount a 14-0 run of their own to pull away from the home squad. For the second time in as many nights, Montana State survived a huge comeback attempt to escape with a victory.

Up next, Texas State will hit the road to take on archrival UTSA at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 from the UTSA Convocation Center in San Antonio.

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